DREAM ANALYSIS

Nightmares are dreams that have developed a frightening plot twist.  During a nightmare, the dreamer may feel a variety of emotions — anger, sadness, terror.  Nightmares often awaken the sleeper who remembers the dream, or parts of it, in vivid detail.

To rid the mind of the fear, it’s a good idea for the dreamer to talk about the nightmare.  The bad dream can even be used as a form of self-therapy.  Recalled images may merely represent adverse conditions in the dreamer’s life.  Recording remembered dreams in a Dream Journal over a period of time may provide a key to…

A rehearsal dream involves a run-through of an actual planned event you’re expecting in the near future.

This type of dream allows the subconscious to prepare in advance for an important or potentially traumatic event.

Depending on your emotions about the event, your subconscious may choose to run through either the best-case scenario and the pleasure you expect the event to bring, or the worst-case scenario and the potential disasters that you’re afraid could happen. In the worst-case scenario, because the dream tells you what your fears are, you have a chance to work through them before the event, if you…

A clarification dream provides insight into your experience of a current or past situation in your life. It presents an aspect of your life, usually a recent situation, often in an exaggerated manner. Key elements often have a different appearance than they do in real life. For example, a person might appear as another person you know who has similar characteristics.

A clarification dream often conveys what you subconsciously feel or think about a particular aspect of your life, or how strongly you feel about it, even when you might not be aware of those thoughts and feelings in a waking state.

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Sometimes we dream that we are flying, feeling free. Your flight may evolve as an escape from some bad situation. In an alternate version, you may be moving freely through water or dancing with abandon.

Although the frequency of this dream varies widely, those who have experienced it often remember it as a favorite dream.

Dream meanings: You feel great, able to soar as high as you wish, you feel as though your possibilities are limitless and that you can transcend anything. Flying dreams can also be tied to spiritual aspirations. Swimming may suggest the feeling that you can explore your depths confidently,…

5. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex. It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment. Use your bed only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine. For example, if looking at a bedroom clock makes you anxious about how much time you have before you must get up, move the clock out of sight. Do not engage in activities that cause you anxiety and prevent you from sleeping.

6.…

The following ten tips can help you achieve sleep and the benefits it provides. These tips, offered by the National Sleep Foundation, are intended for “typical” adults, but not necessarily for children or for adults experiencing medical problems.

How to sleep better:

1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule including weekends. Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a “circadian clock” in our brain and the body’s need to balance both sleep time and wake time. A regular waking time in the morning strengthens the circadian function and can help with sleep onset at night. That is also why it…

The meaning of washing or cleaning in your dream is a bit more obvious than other dream symbols. The item or person being washed determine the interpretation. Washing represents inner cleansing, the “washing away” of old ideas, attitudes and behaviors.

Washing dishes or pots may symbolize physical or psychological cleansing. Since food is served on plates, washing plates in your dream may represent a desire to change your source of income, spiritual nourishment, diet or physical health.

Doing laundry in your dream may symbolize a desire to change your outward appearance and the image you present to the world. Washing underwear in…

While there is no clear evidence proving that dreams predict the future, there is far more information proving that dreams can open the door to the inherent wisdom of the self. Some also believe that dreams are messages from the Divine. Saint Patrick believed that he was instructed to become a missionary through several dreams.

Our dreams can help us connect with knowledge from the unconscious that we cannot readily access due to the distractions of waking life. Working with our dreams can inspire us to evaluate our patterns and behaviors and work toward changing them to improve our emotional and spiritual…

Dream symbolism can be quite complicated, and few individuals possess the skills necessary to arrive at a completely accurate interpretation of dreams. For some individuals dealing with deep psychological issues, dream work can be so powerful that it should be done only under the supervision of a psychiatric professional.

While experts do not seem to completely discount the idea of predictive dreams, there seems to be general agreement that these dreams are simply too “unpredictable” for anyone to have the ability to identify them as such. Since there is no way of determining that a dream is predictive until after the…

While I agree with Jung’s theory that we analyze waking life in our dreams, I have seen and experienced evidence that predictive dreams can and do occur. Everyone dreams, whether they remember their dreams or not. As human beings, we all share a connection. That connection is particularly strong among people with an emotional attachment. For instance, couples who have been together for many years tend to finish each other’s sentences or know what their partner wants before they ask. Parents “sense” when there is something wrong with their children. Perhaps this emotional, possibly “psychic” energy is better able to…